1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a damper arrangement for a glove box of an automotive vehicle. Particularly, the present invention relates to a glove box damper arrangement which can be operatively mounted behind a vehicle instrument panel without interfering with other vehicle components and without need for reducing the size of a glove box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional damper for a vehicle glove box, the glove box is included in an instrument panel of a vehicle, the instrument panel may further accommodate an air bag module mounted in proximity thereto and may further include a cooler unit for example. A lid of the glove box is connected by a wire to the glove box damper such that the lid of the glove box will open slowly. The glove box damper is normally installed on an outer surface of the glove box, such as on a rear surface thereof or on a side surface.
Such a conventional glove box damper is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model application No. 63-196752. According to this disclosure, a lid for a glove box is rotatable hinged at a lower portion thereof to open in a downward direction. According to such arrangement the glove box damper is provided at a side or rear portion thereof.
However, given the increasing number of components mounted in vehicle instrument panels and the need for safety devices such as air bag modules, it has been required to provide a glove box damper arrangement which does not reduce a glove box capacity as with a rear mounted glove box damper, and yet assures a necessary stroke length for effective damping and full opening of the glove box which is often not achieved by side mounted glove box damper arrangements.